


Dreams of Conquest

by merryghoul



Category: Fallen London | Echo Bazaar
Genre: Assassination, Breeding, Burns, Character Study, Churches & Cathedrals, Devils, Gen, Hell, Imprisonment, Minor Character Death, Missing Scene, Spies & Secret Agents, Spoilers, War, canonical violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-29
Updated: 2015-11-29
Packaged: 2018-05-04 01:41:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5315456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryghoul/pseuds/merryghoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What drove the Bishop of Southwark towards his ultimate fate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dreams of Conquest

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Wasuremono](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wasuremono/gifts).



> Caution: There are spoilers for Fate-locked content pertaining to both the Bishop and the Soldier in the fic, as well as a later event in the Ambition: Heart's Desire storyline in this fic. 
> 
> I worked very closely with the game text for this fic. Anything that's not based off of the game text is completely my own idea, and there is a possibility it can be Jossed with later game updates.
> 
> And just to be safe, here's another disclaimer: Fallen London is © 2015 and ™ Failbetter Games Limited: www.fallenlondon.com.  This is an unofficial fan work.

The first and second things the new Bishop of Southwark did after the last Bishop died was to have new robes and an iron mitre made for him. The third thing he did was to erect a fence around his church south of the Stolen River. It was an iron fence, made by some of the city's finished Clay Men. What was unique about the fence was that its poles were in the shape of roses with thorns, as if a briar of linear roses protected the church from harm.

He made the dedication ceremony for the fence a spectacle. Countless newspapers, including the _Unexpurgated London Gazette,_ appeared at the dedication. Devils weren't invited; the presence of several curates made sure they didn't crash the ceremony.

The new Bishop, standing on a lectern, established the oratorical style he'd be known for in later years. "Listen up! I'm the new Bishop of Southwark. I have gathered all you pitiful sinners here outside my church for a special announcement." He spat as he spoke, covering camerapeople with his spittle. "This church is one of the few places in this city that is without sin. This fence will keep it free from SINNING WRETCHES that turn churches into heathen art galleries."

The Bishop stopped. He saw himself reaching out for that one rose in Hell, decades earlier.

The Bishop blinked. He cleared this throat. "Amen."

 

A Cowled Midnighter and their partner, a Dangerous Corespondent, approached the Bishop for a wedding that was to be held at St Fiacre's, near the Shuttered Palace.

"I'm a very busy man," the Bishop said to the Midnighter and the Correspondent. "I have appointments all over this city. A city that's crawling with sinners. I know weddings at St Fiacre's are grand events, but couldn't the bishop there marry you? Odd chap, but he's more than qualified to conduct weddings. You're going to have to show me why you two wretches deserve my presence at your wedding."

The Cowled Midnighter handed the Bishop a Personal Recommendation authored by the barristers at Baseborn and Fowlingpiece. The Bishop scanned the Personal Recommendation. "I'll do it!" he said, before going on a small diatribe comparing marriage to war. He paused for a moment after claiming that if marriage was like war, then it was a war that was both worth winning and losing. "Have you heard of the battle of Agincourt?"

 

Reginald thought the invasion of Hell would be just like the battle of Agincourt. Those fighting in the name of Hell, just like the army of the Kingdom of France, would outnumber those of the army from London. The army from London would go directly into Hell the way Henry V lead the army of the Kingdom of England into France. The army from London would find Hell's weaknesses, exploit them, and then defeat Hell, claiming it for the Traitor Empress.

The attempted invasion of Hell was nothing like Reginald's dreams.

The devils of Hell made their way to London. They had forced the military forces of the Neath to fight in the Forgotten Quarter. The military drew up its battle lines as a fog filled with unsettling voices surrounded them.

The bugler played "Charge," and the military companies headed into the fog. Most of them disappeared, died, and were prisoners war on a trireme passing a dark beach on a silent river. 

Reginald and some of his fellow soldiers didn't endure that same fate. They slowed their horses down when they realized they were out of the fog. But they were in another place, illuminated by fire and smelling of sulphur.

At first, Reginald and his companions cheered. They had found their way into Hell. But their companions weren't with them. The Army of the Kingdom of England of Henry V was small, but it wasn't made up of five calvary soldiers, either.

In the flames that illuminated Hell, Reginald and his companions saw more and more devils march towards the Forgotten Quarter. To Reginald's relief, the Forgotten Quarter was in view from where his men and he were. But Reginald heard the ghastly things said in the fog. He saw men try to slaughter the devils with their sabres, only to see the devils laugh at their failed attempts to kill them. And he had a feeling the devils in the mist were looking for them all.

Reginald noticed a burning rose bush nearby. It wasn't the safest place to hide or the most secure. But Reginald, in the heat of the moment, thought that burning rose bush was the best shelter they could use to hide from the devils. After a bit of convincing, Reginald and his companions headed for the burning rose bush.

 

The Bishop often thinks about the failed invasion of Hell back in 1870. Sometimes it drives him to drink. Sometimes it causes him to drink too much. The reception after the wedding of the Cowled Midnighter and the Dangerous Corespondent was probably not the best place to get drunk off of Morelways 1872, but he did so anyway.

He had forgotten about the invasion of Hell by the time he was asking for anyone and everyone to wrestle him. He even approached two former lovers of both the Cowled Midnighter and the Dangerous Corespondent, the Affectionate Devil and the Quiet Deviless. Both devils were talking about their failures in seducing the couple in a corner of the reception room. "You two!" He pointed at the devils. "I challenge you to a wrestling match, sinners. Shirts off!"

Both devils ironically clapped at the Bishop before leaving him to go to another corner of the reception room. The Bishop moved on to attempt to wrestle the Keeper of the Labyrinth of Tigers.

 

The Bishop has heard of people questioning why the devils covet souls in order to keep devils from claiming the souls of urchins. One such devil, said to be very attractive, retaliates by setting rooms on fire in residences all over London to punish those people. Even people living in rooms in the Brass Embassy weren't spared.

The Bishop knew the devils of London would retaliate if they knew about his involvement in the invasion of Hell. But from time to time he saw his compatriots suffering in Hell, and their suffering still torments him every day he lives in London. And since death isn't always permanent in the Neath, he knew he'd be stuck with the memories for a while.

The Bishop was relieved when he saw someone wearing a clay man mask--the traditional Hallowmas mask for confessing acts of whimsy--walk into his church's garden. The Bishop shamed the person wearing the clay man mask to keep up appearances to people passing by the garden. But in a low voice, the Bishop confessed his act of whimsy to the person wearing the Hallowmas mask.

 

It was while Reginald was checking the way back to the Forgotten Quarter, to see if it was free of the mist as well as the devils, when he saw the rose. It was the only rose in the rose bush that wasn't burning. One of Saint Mary's symbols was the rose, and Saint Mary was the patron saint of travelers. It was because of Saint Mary's grace that they were able to find a somewhat safe shelter in Hell. If Reginald could pluck this single rose, Saint Mary would keep Reginald and the soldiers with him safe until they reached London.

As Reginald reached out for the rose, the rose stem wrapped around his wrist. Another rose stem grabbed his other arm. The stems exploded into flames. Reginald had been tricked by the devils.

Reginald screamed as the fire burnt his flesh. He beat the flames off his own arms, saddled his horse, and ran towards the Forgotten Quarter. It was only when he reached the entrance to the Forgotten Quarter that he saw his companions shackled and being led away by a pack of devils.

Reginald rode back, following the devils, but trying not to be seen by any of them, either.

 

A headline from one of the many newspapers on Doubt Street, a sensational and outlandish paper known as the _Neathy Vigilante:_ BISHOP OF SOUTHWARK BREEDING SECRET ARMY OF WARRIOR-NUNS. Said to Be Hidden in Fourth Coil of Labyrinth of Tigers.

Upon reading the headline on the _Neathy Vigilante,_ Mr Huffram, of the _Unexpurgated London Gazette,_ threw the newspaper into a waste receptacle. He made a note to assign one of his journalists to write a lengthy piece to contradict the headline. No, there weren't any warrior-nuns in the fourth coil of the Labyrinth of Tigers, and there were plenty of Londoners who could be interviewed to verify this fact. But that tabloid headline was too close to the truth, and London didn't need to know about the truth. The revelation could put London in chaos. London was already in chaos. It didn't need any more of it.

 

The truth was the Bishop was breeding beasts for an invasion of Hell, after Mr Inch was unable to find him beasts that could survive the journey to Hell. The beasts that were bred didn't satisfy the Bishop. Most of the beasts the Bishop's assistants bred went to Mr Hearts, who would always call the creatures "moist" and "delicious" in the Bishop's study before taking off with them in silver cages. Often his assistants would breed him Hounds of Heaven, white snakes with ruby-red eyes. They were effective in sniffing out devils, but the Bishop was not about to launch an invasion of Hell with the symbol of his most hated enemies. There was a particular horse he was interested in, bred with a special formula and a Tomb-Lion, but Mr Hearts would never let him have the recipe for the formula. If he obtained the formula, the Bishop would make a big show and alarm the people of London with a fleet of Obdurate Stallions headed towards Hell. Mr Hearts would give his formulas to the Bishop's assistants instead, since most of them weren't destined to terrify London with a conquest of Hell.

The Bishop's plans were a secret, but they were an open secret. The devils of London also knew of the Bishop's plans. The Brass Embassy often sent devils to investigate the goings-on in the Fourth Coil to find a way to stop the Bishop. It was easy to sneak into the Fourth Coil, too. If a devil's habit covered their head far enough, the devil-nuns blended in with the rest of the nuns patrolling the Fourth Coil. Humans and tigers alike were none the wiser.

While he was waiting for one of assistants to bring back a beast, hoping that beast wasn't yet another hyena, the Bishop saw two glowing, reddish-looking orbs in the darkness of the Fourth Coil. He hid back in his study and put a cudgel by the door. 

The Bishop looked outside his study. He saw a nun's uniform walking away from his study. When the nun passed by his study again, the Bishop grabbed the nun by its arm. "Do you need any help?"

The nun shook its habit.

"Why are you afraid of me? I don't hurt the least wretched of sinners."

The nun shook its habit again.

The Bishop turned the nun around. It was a male devil dressed up as a nun. "I knew you were a devil, trying to taint this coil with INFERNAL INFLUENCES!" The Bishop started hitting the devil with the cudgel. "WRETCHED HELLSPAWN! DIABOLICAL FIEND! You will not taint this process with your revolting plans!"

Before the Bishop could beat him unconscious, the devil managed to escape the Bishop and his cudgel, retreating to the Third Coil of the Labyrinth of Tigers.

The Bishop walked back to his study, gripping his cudgel tight. "Enough. I need another apprentice." He slammed the iron door to his study and pulled out stationary at his desk. "Mother Church needs you," he said as he was writing on vellum, spitting on it as he spoke. "You are among the least fowl of the wretched sinners of the earth...."

 

After hiding in Hell's marshes for a while, Reginald reached where his companions were. But it was too late. Reginald's companions were hung by the devils. There was no way Reginald's companions would come back to London alive. And if they did, they certainly wouldn't be human anymore.

Reginald couldn't bear to see his companions breathe their last breaths. He rode back to London, but not before the devils saw him.

 

Few people come by the Regretful Soldier's cottage in Watchmaker's Hill. The Soldier is constantly drunk and sobbing. His wife is a soulless shell. It's a miserable place to live. Sometimes the Soldier invites guests to listen to him tell outrageous tales of his supposed exploits, and sometimes he teaches people to sword fight. The Soldier's guests never stayed long at the cottage. Even the Soldier stepped away from the cottage to escape his shame.

The Soldier was surprised when an acquaintance of his, a Pipe-Smoking Doctor, as well as a Loquacious Vicar, arrived on his doorstep. The Vicar said hello and introduced the Doctor and himself before the Doctor could get a word in edgewise.

The Vicar pushed the Doctor into the cottage before sitting in one of the cottage's chairs. The Doctor politely waited for the Soldier to indicate for the two of them to sit down. The Soldier was calm about the intrusion. He wasn't drunk or in mourning at that moment. 

The Soldier was about to greet his friend, but before he could say anything, the Vicar spoke. "You may or may not know this, but I am currently conducting an inquiry into the nature of Hell. I have been told by our mutual friend here that you were in Hell once, back in 1870, during that failed invasion. Now, what can you tell me of Hell?"

The Soldier admitted to the Vicar that his regiment, unlike the Heavy Brigade, didn't make it into Hell. And of the Heavy Brigade, the only survivor, Reginald, went into the church.

The Vicar stood up as soon as the Soldier was finished. "Thank you," the Vicar said, mentioning the Soldier's real name. The Vicar grabbed the Doctor. "We must be going. We still have important matters to discuss. Good evening."

 

Before the end of the Heavy Brigade, the Bishop had heard of the man who would later be known as the Regretful Soldier. Sure, he was an excellent swordsman and an even greater braggart. But he was also known for having great triage skills. 

The Soldier found himself at a church fête at Greyfields Winery. He was visiting an acquaintance of his at the Royal Bethlehem, patching up some wounds of theirs, and had decided to take a break before returning to Watchmaker's Hill. While having tea with some curates, the Bishop approached him.

"I have great need of you, sinner," the Bishop said, pointing at the Soldier. The Soldier face lost colour for a moment. He put down his tea on a saucer. "Come to my private tent, immediately."

Not willing to argue with the Bishop, the Soldier followed him to his private tent.

The Bishop pulled down all the sides of his tent. "I've heard all about you," the Bishop said, mentioning the Soldier's real name. His voice was lowered. "You fought in the failed invasion of Hell in 1870. The devils captured you and put you on their trireme."

The Soldier nodded. "I don't want to talk about it, Bishop."

"They say you were also a talented medic."

"I was."

"I fought in the invasion of Hell too, but I was never captured. The devils never killed me. I believe I'm the only person who's been to Hell and lived. I'm Reginald, formerly of the Heavy Brigade."

The Soldier gasped. "I thought that was a legend."

The Bishop shook his head. "It's true. Will you promise not to tell anyone? I have enemies who might use this against me."

"I won't tell a soul."

The Bishop told the Soldier about how his companions and he escaped the fog the rest of the Neath's army fell into, and how he felt responsible for sending his companions to their deaths. He rolled up his sleeves. "And this is proof of my transgression. I was wondering...is there any way you could fix this?"

The Soldier looked closely at the Bishop's wreathed burn marks. "I'm sorry, Bishop, but there's nothing I can do. This requires medicine you can only get on the Surface. And there's no way we can escape this wretched place to get you the help you need."

The Bishop rolled down his sleeves. "You did try to help. You're free to go back to the curates for tea now."

"What are you going to do now?"

"Presiding over the Guess the Spider competition. And to chase out those Knife and Candle heathens as need be."

 

Years ago, when London was still on the surface, a fire raged on a street near a church. The church, now known as St Guthlac's, left the church covered in soot. That, along with the growing industrialization in the area, caused people to stopped worshipping at the church. After London fell, the Bishop closed the church for good. But it was still being used by the church.

A Bandaged Crooked-Cross, attempting to coerce the devil Virginia to join the Marvellous, a legendary card game where someone can bet and win their heart's desire, met with the Bishop in the back room a paper factory near St Guthlac's. "So you want to blackmail Virginia. The Virginia who's looking for the secrets of the Correspondence." He clapped his hands. "You're in luck, ah, Si-, er, Mad-, er, yes. Her file is down this way. Since you're a friend of Mother Church, I'm letting you see St Guthlac's crypt. But if you whisper one word of this to the Brass Embassy, I'll bend your back in three places." 

The Bishop led the Bandaged Crooked-Cross through a door in the back room. The door led to a stairway. The stairway went down into a tunnel. The tunnel led into the crypt of St Guthlac. The crypt was lit up by foxfire candles. Black-robed priests were around the crypt. Two of them were leaning on a tomb; one spoke of what the Rotund Devil did in Ladybones Road while the other was writing the intel down on paper. Others were leafing through papers on other devils, Dante's Grill, and the Brass Embassy. "This is the Church's demonology headquarters," the Bishop said. "This place is to be kept a secret. Do you understand?"

The Bandaged Crooked-Cross nodded.

The Bishop and the Bandaged Crooked-Cross reached some file cabinets in the crypt. The Bishop opened a cabinet and pulled out Virginia's dossier, a dossier thicker than some of the other devils of London. The Bandaged Crooked-Cross' eyes widened upon seeing the dossier.

"This doesn't leave holy ground. Read up," the Bishop said.

 

Reginald had heard of people seeking refuge from the Shuttered Palace, the Great Game, and the military rough the Church. As soon as he came from Hell, he found himself at the church of the Bishop of Southwark. The Bishop of Southwark at the time welcomed him with open arms to his staff.

The Brass Embassy knew Reginald had escaped Hell's scheme to bargain for souls. Once they discovered Reginald had become the Bishop of Southwark's assistant, they knew how to collect the soul Reginald owed them.

The old Bishop of Southwark, under an alias, was put on a Licentiate's list. The Licentiate deciphered the alias and, in quick fashion, killed the Bishop of Southwark. By the time Reginald reached the Bishop of Southwark, it was too late. The Bishop was dead, the Licentiate was long gone, and Virginia lingered long enough to wink at Reginald with a jarred soul in her arms. She fled before Reginald could catch her.

That was the moment where Reginald became the Bishop of Southwark, and it was the moment he decided to fight, even kill, the devils by any means necessary. 

 

In the future, the Bishop finds himself trapped into a mirror, looking out at the forests of Parabola. He wonders how he ended up in the mirror.

He recalls giving up on his demonology studies in the crypt in St Guthlac's, and the fire that "suspiciously" claimed the church. He remembers the day the imprisoned animals and people in the Labyrinth of Tigers "destroyed" his breeding research, save for the studies of turning Plated Seals to Hounds of Heaven and Tomb-Lions to Obdurate Stallions. (He found a willing assistant who finally gave him the formula.)

He discovered Parabola, like London, shares a border with Hell. He learned of the Fingerkings, the rulers of Parabola. He asked for a horde of snake-like beings, in various shapes and sizes, to invade Hell while he rode in on his Obdurate Stallion. The Fingerkings agreed, as long as he offered his freedom to them. Somehow he missed that part, the "freedom" part.

One of his former assistants hit him with a cudgel, tied him up, and trapped him in a mirror in Parabola. The assistant was a Huntsman for the Fingerkings, helping to ensnare those who wanted an impossible deal with the Fingerkings. The "freedom" part hit him as soon as he was trapped in the mirror.

The prison the Fingerkings gave him was similar to dormitories in a flophouse. There is a cheap-looking bed behind his mirror. They feed him everyday, but his days of drinking Greyfields were over. 

He looks at the prisoners the Fingerkings have ensnared in their mirrors. An Infernal Informant. A Master--certainly not Mr Hearts. He knows Mr Hearts when he sees him. Mr Wines, maybe? He moves drunkenly like Mr Wines. The Genial Magician. A mysterious woman with blood-soaked hands. He doesn't know why they've all been trapped by the Huntsman and the Fingerkings. He wants to be free.

Today the Bishop can hear things in Parabola. It is Wednesday, the Feast of Masks. The Fingerkings have allowed the Huntsman to choose a prisoner to return to London. This is when the Bishop puts on a show. He starts to orate a speech--a speech like the ones he used to give in his private lectures, or when he first dedicated the fence around his church. He speaks of why he wants to conquer Hell and why he wants all its devils killed. He speaks of the snakes he will use to go into Hell with, and the Obdurate Stallions they'll use to get through Hell's marshes. He can't give the Huntsman a title like most of the other prisoners. All the Bishop has is his dream.

When he can't speak anymore, the Bishop closes his eyes. He sees himself conquering Hell, even if the Huntsman doesn't share his dream of conquest.


End file.
